Johnson's recruitment already has national feel

The map depicting Michael Johnson Jr.'s list of scholarship offers is a small scatterplot. The California product yet to land an invite from UCLA or USC, but Mississippi State, Florida State and Cal have all made things official with the class-of-2019 quarterback.

Johnson’s father played football at both Arizona State and Akron before entering the coaching profession, in which he made numerous NFL and college stops. The connections he built have certainly played a part in his son’s wide-ranging exposure.

And while plenty of coaches on plenty of campuses already know Johnson’s name, he’s taking a relaxed approach to the process.

“I don’t really have a favorite, but Cal is the only place I’ve seen so far,” Johnson said. “Cal is pretty nice.

“I’ve been talking to Tennessee a lot. I really don’t talk to a lot of college coaches a lot yet, but a lot of coaches have come to my school.”

IN HIS WORDS: “I grew up a fan of wherever my favorite quarterback was at, so I switched it up a lot. Right now, if I turn on the TV tomorrow, it’s probably going to be Josh Dobbs at Tennessee or Deshaun Watson at Clemson.”

RIVALS REACTION: Arizona State is yet to offer Johnson, but could be heavily involved down the road because of his father’s ties to the school. Tennessee would likely be a major player should it decide to offer. The same could be said of UCLA or USC. Right now, however, Cal has to be seen as the de facto leader because of Johnson’s familiarity with the staff and campus.